Kenya’s Forgotten Grandmaster: The Painful Story of Chrispin “Goj” Odhiambo

 Chrispin Odhiambo ranked 5th in the world while still fighting for recognition at home.

While Kenya is globally celebrated for producing world class athletes in athletics and long distance running, there is another Kenyan champion quietly making history in a completely different sport. His name is Chrispin “Goj” Odhiambo, a man who has conquered international Draughts competitions and earned respect across the world, yet remains painfully overlooked in his own country.

Chrispin Odhiambo is currently ranked fifth in the world in Draughts according to the American Checker Federation ratings. He is also the only recognized Grandmaster in East Africa, a rare achievement that places him among the finest minds in the game internationally. His success has not come easily. It has taken years of discipline, sacrifice, intense training and countless journeys across borders carrying the Kenyan flag with pride.

Over the years, Chrispin has represented Kenya in numerous international tournaments and returned home with close to ten gold medals from different countries around the world. His victories stretch across Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Turkey, Italy, Germany and the United States. In Texas alone last year, he won three gold medals, proving once again that his brilliance is not luck but a reflection of extraordinary skill and consistency at the highest level.

His achievements reached even greater heights in 2024 when he had the rare honor of meeting Pope Francis in Rome. For many athletes and sports personalities, such recognition would open doors to national appreciation, sponsorships and government support. However, for Chrispin, little changed back home in Kenya.

Despite being among the world’s top Draughts players, Chrispin says he has received little recognition from local leaders or sports authorities. While other nations celebrate and invest heavily in their champions, his journey has largely depended on the kindness of ordinary supporters and foreign friends he met during international tournaments. Many of his trips have been made possible through crowdfunding efforts and personal sacrifices rather than institutional support.

It is a painful reality that a Kenyan who continues to raise the country’s flag internationally still struggles to secure basic sponsorship and acknowledgment from the very nation he represents. His story highlights a larger problem in Kenya where talent outside mainstream sports is often ignored until it is too late. Many gifted individuals in chess, Draughts, scrabble and other intellectual sports continue to fight lonely battles despite bringing honor to the country.

Chrispin’s story is not simply about Draughts. It is about resilience, patriotism and the silent struggles many talented Kenyans face while trying to pursue excellence. It is about a man who refused to give up even when support was missing. It is about carrying a nation’s hopes on your shoulders while feeling abandoned by the same nation.

As Kenyans celebrate sporting heroes across different fields, perhaps it is time to also recognize minds that compete and win on intellectual stages. Chrispin “Goj” Odhiambo has already proven himself to the world. The question now is whether Kenya will finally recognize and support one of its own before his remarkable story becomes another tale of forgotten greatness.